Things are heating up ahead of UFC Saudi Arabia, where Shara Magomedov is set to face Michael “Venom” Page in a highly anticipated clash. The war of words took an intense turn when MVP confidently claimed that Shara was going get bloodied up if he went for a takedown. Not one to back down, Magomedov fired back bizarrely.
‘Bullet’ posted a rather eerie video of himself holding a gun and sitting on a sofa with another man bloodied on his carpet.
“Michael, I heard you say that I will bleed in our fight on February 1st @ufc , yes I will bleed, only in yours.”
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However, ‘Bullet’ did clarify that the video was taken on the sets of the movie that he is currently filming.
With an undefeated 15-0 record and fresh off a highlight-reel KO victory against Armen Petrosyan, Shara is already doing all he can to become a memorable face in the promotion. He goes into the fight as a betting favorite and believes a win over the flashy striker could catapult him closer to a spot in the middleweight top 10.
Shara Bullet KO’s Petrosyan pic.twitter.com/RaPTyYQgiP
— Dovy (@DovySimuMMA) December 17, 2024
Now it seems MVP’s remarks seem to have been taken personally by him.
What did MVP exactly say?
MVP is coming off of a loss against Ian Machado Garry at UFC 303. This loss has halted his momentum and practically stopped the hype the UFC had built around him while signing him from Bellator in 2024. It is possible these remarks are a way to build it back up, brick by brick.
At 37, Page is confident his striking will prove superior in their three-round showdown, even predicting that Magomedov will not be able to keep up with him and eventually resort to grappling.
“I think he really believes he’s the best striker. But after a few big shots, he’ll start looking for takedowns. By then, it might be too late—I think he’ll be bloodied up if he tries.”
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This is one of those fights where no matter what the odds say, it is expected to go either way.
Page, despite his loss to Garry, actually didn’t look bad during the fight. Firstly, he was fighting at 170 lbs instead of 185 lbs. So, the weight cut couldn’t have been easy to go through. At 6’3″, he is a big lad who seems far more comfortable fighting at a heavier weight class.
Besides, during that fight, Garry had gone on the defensive and despite promising KOs had reduced the planning to takedowns and grappling; something unusual for a fight between two really good strikers. But if Page believes Shara is going to adopt a similar approach, he might be in for a rude awakening.
